By guest blogger Stephanie Sarkis, Ph.D.

John is late for work again.  He couldn’t find his car keys, and then his car wouldn’t start because he left the lights on last night.  He has a big presentation at work, but he didn’t back up his computer, and he lost the notes for his presentation when his computer crashed.  When he walked in the building this morning, he wasn’t looking where he was going and walked into someone, making John spill his coffee on him.  He didn’t get in a lot of sleep last night, because he and his wife got into an argument about how she feels he does not listen to her.  To top it all off, she was upset that he didn’t remember to pick up some milk and eggs at the store on the way home from work last night.  

Sally got embarrassed at the staff meeting again.  She was thinking about what she was going to do with her day off tomorrow when the boss called on her and asked, “Sally, what are your ideas on what Bob just said?”  Sally had no idea what Bob had said, because she could hardly pay attention after thirty minutes of such a boring meeting.  She became flustered.  Why did this always seem to happen to her?  

Does this sound like you?  ADD (or ADHD) affects all aspects of your life: work, home, and even your social life.  People with adult ADD usually had ADD symptoms when they were children.  You may have been diagnosed with ADD as a child and may have taken medication.  Or you may have had ADD symptoms and told you were “hyperactive,” but you were never formally diagnosed.   You don’t actually “grow out of” ADD—your symptoms just look differently when you are an adult.  While you may no longer be climbing the furniture, you are now constantly swiveling your chair during an office meeting.  Or instead of having difficulties waiting your turn in a game, you now can’t stand being stuck in traffic.  Many adults with ADD describe feeling a sense of “inner restlessness”— they are just itching to move around, fidget, or be active.  

Other symptoms of adult ADD include the following:  a tendency to interrupt others, chronic procrastination, a feeling of “inner restlessness,” losing items frequently, difficulty staying seated, chronic disorganization, drug and/or alcohol abuse, putting too many activities on your schedule, difficulty maintaining long-term relationships, getting fired from jobs or impulsively quitting jobs, working multiple jobs, spending impulsively, having a quick temper and mood swings, and feeling like you are not working to your potential.  

ADD is a biological disorder.  It is highly genetic, meaning that it is passed on through the genes you inherit from your parents.  Scientists have discovered specific genes that carry the genetic “coding” for ADD.  Can you think of anyone in your family that has the same problems paying attention that you do?  This is important information to have—not to point fingers at people in your family, but to give you a better idea about the genetics of this disorder.  There are also other biological reasons for ADD.  The left frontal lobe of the brain is smaller in ADD people.  Also, people with ADD have a lower amount of a chemical called dopamine in the brain.  Medications, such as stimulants, increase the level of dopamine in the brain to a “normal” level.   

A person’s environment can make ADD appear better or worse.  If your boss decided that all office meetings would be held in a large field where you could walk around, you probably would be able to focus better!  The way you (or your boss) set up your environment can help you work with your ADD.  

While there is no “cure all” for ADD, there are treatment options available, such as medication, counseling, coaching, and changing your environment.  Always remember that you do have the power to make positive changes in your life, regardless of how difficult things may have been for you in the past.  


Stephanie Sarkis is the author of the upcoming ADD and Your Money (December 2009), and 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD, Making the Grade with ADD.